Content is a core publishers’ product but it doesn’t have to be the only one they offer. As an entrepreneur, you can sell different things, even more so you have a bunch of loyal fans, a ton of data, and business experience. Why can’t you offer backpacks and mugs if you publish a travel magazine? Maybe it’s time to take a step further in your digital publishing venture and think seriously about eCommerce as a way to diversify income.

1. How Can Publishers
Monetize Through
eCommerce?
Prepared by PressPad

2. ● mobile magazine apps,
● digital newsstands for PDF
issues,
● WordPress-based news
apps.
It was prepared for publishers
who:
Who are we?
Who is this
presentation for?
2
We’re PressPad – the
company that creates:
● want to take a step
further in their digital
publishing venture,
● think seriously about
eCommerce as a way to
diversify income.

3. There are a few things related to
each other that have influenced
the publishing industry recently.
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4. COVID-19 PANDEMIC
COVID’s lockdowns and
quarantines sped up both the
transition to digital of many
businesses, headed by purchasing
and fast consumer adoption of
eCommerce.
Publishers have changed their
strategies and invested in digital
publishing platforms.
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5. ECOMMERCE GROWTH
Pandemic lockdowns have
forced many people to shop
online, and this trend is
continued.
It was too significant for the
publishing world to ignore.
Publishers picked up that this space
has revenue potential.
62% of US publishers said they
expected eCommerce to rank
among their three biggest revenue
sources in Q1 2021. 36% said it
would be their main source of
revenues.
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6. source: https://www.lotame.com/
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7. NEED OF INCOME
DIVERSIFICATION
The rapidly changing conditions
meant that publishers began to
diversify their revenue streams.
Data from Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism found
that in 2018 publishers were
using a number of revenue
streams beyond advertising, with
subscriptions among the most
popular.
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8. source: https://www.emarketer.com/content/the-challenges-publishers-face-in-monetizing-digital-content
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9. EXTENSION OF
PUBLISHERS’
COMPETENCES
Publishing doesn’t mean only
preparing and distributing
newspapers and magazines
today.
The technology development
helps publishers to start new
businesses, expand their
activities, and go beyond the
standard framework.
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10. All these things make
publishers are more and more
willing to start e-commerce
businesses.
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11. How can they monetize through
eCommerce?
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12. 1
When a digital publisher promotes
another company’s products, services, or
website on their website or magazine,
they earn a commission.
It usually takes the form of written
reviews of products, recommendations, or
mentions that can be monetized thanks
to affiliate links.
ECOMMERCE AFFILIATE MARKETING
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13. E-COMMERCE
AFFILIATE
MARKETING
Affiliate partner promotes a brand's
products on publisher's website
Reader click a link/an ad
and make a purchase
Conversions are tracked
Publisher receive a
commission
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14. Well-thought-out affiliations (along with drawing conclusions and
analysis) helps with building relationships with advertisers who are less
about impressions and more about conversions.
● cooperate only with brands they trust, and whose products
they can truly recommend;
● find products that are supportive of the entire line of content;
● assure readers that clicking on the link is safe.
The most important rule publishers should follow choosing an affiliate
partner is to maintain the trust of their readers.
That’s why they should:
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15. Marie Claire Edit is a unique, online fashion aggregator platform offering cloths,
shoes, accessories, and much more.
The example of affiliate marketing
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16. PRINT ON DEMAND
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It allows the sale of different products
that are prepared and printed after an
order and payment have been done.
Nothing is prepared in advance.
That’s why the seller doesn’t have to deal
with inventory management. The whole
process of printing and fulfillment is
handled by a third part.
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17. Your online store
The customer buys the
product on your store
External company
receives an order and
prepares the product
The customer gets the product
PRINT ON DEMAND PROCESS
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18. This method is most often used by self-publishers, who often have
problems with estimating how many print copies they really need.
This is a great option for a publisher who has basically switched to digital
but has a certain audience who still wants to receive print issues.
Some publishers may use POD in special circumstances, such as
reprinting older, archive issues, out-of-print titles, or just for test
marketing.
It’s not only about content. Publishers can print and sell other products.
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19. The example of print on demand
Print Shift is a magazine available only in a print-on-demand version. 19

20. ONLINE STORE
3
Online shops can be used not only for
selling content such as magazine
archive issues or copies of the book
but also to offer almost every item in
some way related to the brand.
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21. Publishers enter this business with huge facilities: website, internet
presence, readers, promotion channels, data, newsletters, e-mail
addresses, business-run knowledge.
All of this makes they can start eCommerce with a relatively small
cost.
That’s why selling products directly to the readers has become the
main way publishing organizations make money.
Publishers need to find something that connects their brands and the
readers, what is related to their business, and customers will identify
with that as well.
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22. The example of online shop
The New York Times online store sells branded goods, archival photography,
books, and personalized front page reprints.
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23. E-commerce became a chance to diversify revenue for
publishers. Both areas overlap and can bring mutual
benefits.
Digital publishing businesses are multicompanies
which successes are driven by three components:
content, community, eCommerce.
This combination effectively fuels the financial results of
many publishers who know that income diversification is a
way to generate revenue and… a fundament to survive
no matter what the future will bring.
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24. Questions? Comments?
PressPad LinkedIn @presspadapp
+1 888 712 0331
www.presspadapp.com
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